System and method for providing information to a portable terminal

ABSTRACT

An information providing system can include a registration terminal having a guidance information registration database which stores information groups, which are correlated with reference position information. When portable terminal position information for specifying the position of a portable terminal is received together with a transmission request for the guidance information, the guidance information is automatically selected from an information group in accordance with the received transmission request on the basis of the position relationship between the reference position which is specified by the reference position information corresponding to the information group in accordance with the received transmission request, and the position which is specified by the received portable terminal position information, and the selected guidance information is transmitted to the portable terminal.

This is a Divisional of application Ser. No. 10/062,725 filed Feb. 5,2002 now U.S. Pat. No. 7,050,816. The entire disclosure of the priorapplication is hereby incorporate by reference herein in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of Invention

The present invention relates to a system that is capable of connectinga portable terminal with a registration terminal for registering targetinformation via a network to provide the target information in theregistration terminal to the portable terminal, and to a terminal foruse in the same system. More particularly, the present invention relatesto an information providing system, a registration terminal, and aportable terminal which are suitable for providing appropriateinformation depending upon the position of a user and for facilitatingacquisition of information by the user.

2. Description of Related Art

Currently, information viewer systems, such as that disclosed inJapanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 11-126184, areknown as a system in which information is downloaded for use from aterminal connected to a network with such an information viewer system,when a storage medium owned by a user is connected to an informationproviding terminal device via storage medium connecting device, theinformation providing terminal device retrieves information from aninformation server via a network, and the retrieved information istransferred to and stored in the storage medium. By connecting thestorage medium to an information display terminal device, theinformation stored in the storage medium can be displayed on theinformation display terminal device so as to be viewed by the user.Accordingly, a user is readily able to retrieve and view requiredinformation without the needs for explicit operation for selectinginformation.

However, in such a conventional information viewer system, which isadapted to provide information into uniformity, the same content ofinformation could only be obtained in whatever condition a userdownloads the same information, and it can be difficult to provideappropriate information in accordance with the circumstance of the user.For instance, it is assumed that shop or sightseeing guidanceinformation is provided as part of information providing services. If auser far from the shop or sightseeing spot of interest uses a portableterminal to access the guidance information, simplified guidanceinformation only about the outline of the shop or sightseeing spot maybe provided. If a user near the shop or the sightseeing spot of interestuses a portable terminal to access it, detailed guidance informationregarding the content or specific direction of the shop or sightseeingspot may be provided, thereby providing appropriate informationdepending upon the position of a user.

Like homepages on the Internet, simplified information may also beposted on a top page, followed by detailed information in a hierarchicalmanner, thereby allowing a user to obtain the information contentdesired by the user. However, if the desired information is placed in adeep hierarchy from the top page, a user must search for the informationwhile viewing hierarchically ordered pages page by page from the toppage, thereby wasting labor and time. In addition, access from aportable terminal such as a cellular phone may require repeatedtrial-and-error accesses, thereby making the communications costly.

Rather, it may also be contemplated that only detailed information beprovided every time. However, in the case where sightseeing informationis provided, as described above, detailed information may not benecessarily required sometimes depending upon the position of a user.The detailed information requires proportionally large capacity of data,resulting in undesirable communications load placed on a portableterminal if the information is not necessary to a user.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of theforegoing unsolved problems associated with the conventional art, and itis an object of the present invention to provide an informationproviding system, a registration terminal, and a portable terminal whichare desirable to assist a user in readily obtaining information.

To this end, an information providing system according to the presentinvention can connect a portable terminal with a registration terminalfor registering target information which is to be used by the portableterminal, and provides the target information in the registrationterminal to the portable terminal. The registration terminal can beadapted to associate a plurality of different pieces of the targetinformation with a single information group, and to register theinformation group, which is correlated with reference positioninformation for specifying a reference position as a reference. Thetarget information in the registration terminal can be provided to theportable terminal by selecting the target information from theinformation group on the basis of the position relationship between thereference position which is specified by the reference positioninformation corresponding to the information group, and the portableterminal, and by transmitting the selected target information to theportable terminal. With such a structure, in order to provide the targetinformation in the registration terminal to the portable terminal, basedon the position relationship between the reference position which isspecified by the reference position information corresponding to aninformation group, and the portable terminal, the target information isselected from that information group, and the selected targetinformation can be transmitted to the portable terminal.

In this regard, the determination of the position relationship maydesirably, but not restrictively, be performed by one or both of theregistration terminal and the portable terminal, and may also beperformed by any other terminal than the registration terminal and theportable terminal.

The position of the portable terminal may be specified in detail usingGPS (Global Positioning System), etc., on the basis of the positioninformation from a base station with which the portable terminal or theportable terminal communicates, or may be roughly specified bydetermining whether or not the portable terminal belongs to thecommunications coverage of a particular base station on the basis of theposition of the particular base station.

Furthermore, the position of the portable terminal may be specified asthe relative position to the reference position, or as the absoluteposition using latitude and longitude, etc.

The registration terminal can be designed to store the targetinformation by any technique at any time, and may store the targetinformation beforehand, or may not store the target informationbeforehand but store the target information such as by an external inputwhen the present apparatus is activated.

According to an information providing system of the present invention,the registration terminal can include a storage device for storing theinformation group, which is correlated with the reference positioninformation, in which, when portable terminal position information forspecifying the position of the portable terminal is received togetherwith a transmission request for the target information, the targetinformation can be selected from an information group in accordance withthe received transmission request on the basis of the positionrelationship between the reference position which is specified by thereference position information corresponding to the information group inaccordance with the received transmission request, and the positionwhich is specified by the received portable terminal positioninformation, and the selected target information is transmitted to theportable terminal. The portable terminal can include a positioninformation retrieving device for retrieving the portable terminalposition information, in which the portable terminal positioninformation retrieved by the position information retrieving means istransmitted to the registration terminal together with the transmissionrequest.

With this structure, in the portable terminal, the portable terminalposition information can be retrieved by the position informationretrieving device, and the retrieved portable terminal positioninformation can be transmitted to the registration terminal togetherwith the transmission request for the target information such as byuser's operation.

In the registration terminal, when the portable terminal positioninformation is received together with the transmission request, thetarget information can be selected from an information group inaccordance with the received transmission request on the basis of theposition relationship between the reference position which is specifiedby the reference position information corresponding to the informationgroup in accordance with the received transmission request, and theposition which is specified by the received portable terminal positioninformation.

The storage device is designed to store the target information by anytechnique at any time, and may store the target information beforehand,or may not store the target information beforehand but store the targetinformation by an external input when the present apparatus isactivated.

According to an information providing system of the present invention,the registration terminal can include a storage device for storing theinformation group, which is correlated with the reference positioninformation, in which, when a transmission request for the targetinformation is received, reference position information corresponding toan information group in accordance with the received transmissionrequest is transmitted to the portable terminal. When a result ofdetermination by the portable terminal is received in response to thetransmission of the reference position information, the targetinformation is selected from an information group in accordance with thereceived transmission request on the basis of the received result ofdetermination, and the selected target information is transmitted to theportable terminal. The portable terminal includes position informationretrieving means for retrieving portable terminal position informationfor specifying the position of the portable terminal, in which, when thereference position information is received in response to thetransmission of the transmission request, the position relationshipbetween the reference position which is specified by the receivedreference position information, and the position which is specified bythe portable terminal position information retrieved by the positioninformation retrieving device is determined, and a result of thedetermination is transmitted to the registration terminal.

With this structure, in the portable terminal, the transmission requestfor the target information can be transmitted to the registrationterminal such as by user's operation.

In the registration terminal, when the transmission request is received,the reference position information corresponding to an information groupin accordance with the received transmission request can be transmittedto the portable terminal.

In the portable terminal, the portable terminal position information canbe retrieved by the position information retrieving device. When thereference position information is received, the position relationshipbetween the reference position which is specified by the receivedreference position information, and the position which is specified bythe retrieved portable terminal position information can be determined,and a result of the determination can be transmitted to the registrationterminal.

In the registration terminal, when the result of the determination isreceived, the target information can be selected from an informationgroup in accordance with the received transmission request on the basisof the received result of the determination, and the selected targetinformation can be transmitted to the portable terminal.

According to an information providing system of the present invention,the registration terminal can include a storage device for storing theinformation group, which is correlated with the reference positioninformation, in which, when a transmission request for the targetinformation is received, an information group in accordance with thereceived transmission request, and the reference position informationcorresponding thereto are transmitted to the portable terminal. Theportable terminal includes a position information retrieving device forretrieving portable terminal position information for specifying theposition of the portable terminal, in which, when the information groupand the reference position information are received in response to thetransmission of the transmission request, the target information isselected from the received information group on the basis of theposition relationship between the reference position which is specifiedby the received reference position information, and the position whichis specified by the portable terminal position information retrieved bythe position information retrieving device.

With this structure, in the portable terminal, the transmission requestfor the target information can be transmitted to the registrationterminal such as by user's operation.

In the registration terminal, when the transmission request is received,an information group in accordance with the received transmissionrequest, and the reference position information corresponding theretocan be transmitted to the portable terminal.

In the portable terminal, the portable terminal position information canbe retrieved by the position information retrieving device. When theinformation group and the reference position information is received,the target information can be selected from the received informationgroup on the basis of the position relationship between the referenceposition which is specified by the received reference positioninformation, and the position which is specified by the retrievedportable terminal position information.

According to an information providing system of the present invention,the registration terminal can include a storage device for storing theinformation group, which is correlated with the reference positioninformation, and for storing program data, in which, when a transmissionrequest for the target information is received, an information group inaccordance with the received transmission request, the referenceposition information corresponding thereto, and the program data aretransmitted to the portable terminal. The program data is program datawhich causes the portable terminal to execute the process of selectingthe target information from the information group on the basis of theposition relationship between the reference position which is specifiedby the reference position information, and the position which isspecified by portable terminal position information for specifying theposition of the portable terminal. The portable terminal can include aposition information retrieving device for retrieving the portableterminal position information, in which, when the information group, thereference position information, and the program data are received inresponse to the transmission of the transmission request, the process isexecuted according to the received program data to select the targetinformation.

With this structure, in the portable terminal, the transmission for thetarget information can be transmitted to the registration terminal suchas by user's operation.

In the registration terminal, when the transmission request is received,an information in accordance with the received transmission request, thereference position information corresponding thereto, and a program datacan be transmitted to the portable terminal.

In the portable terminal, the portable terminal position information canbe retrieved by the position information retrieving device. When theinformation group, the reference position information, and the programdata are received, the process is executed according to the receivedprogram data to thereby select the target information from the receivedinformation group on the basis of the position relationship between thereference position which is specified by the received reference positioninformation, and the position which is specified by the retrievedportable terminal position information.

According to an information providing system of the present invention,the information group can include a first target information and asecond target information having more detailed content than the firsttarget information, which are associated with each other; and in theselection of the target information. The first target information can beselected from the information group if a distance from the referenceposition which is specified by the reference position information to theposition which is specified by the portable terminal positioninformation is within a first predetermined range. The second targetinformation can be selected from the information group if a distancefrom the reference position which is specified by the reference positioninformation to the position which is specified by the portable terminalposition information is within a second predetermined range which issmaller than the first predetermined range.

With this structure, first target information can be selected if adistance from the position of the portable terminal to the referenceposition is within a first predetermined range. If the portable terminalis closer to the reference position, and a distance from the position ofthe portable terminal to the reference position is within a secondpredetermined range which is smaller than the first predetermined range,second target information having more detailed content than the firsttarget information can be selected.

As used herein, a distance from the position of the portable terminal tothe reference position is not limited on the slant distance between theposition of the portable terminal and the reference position, and mayencompass the distance across paths (for example, road, railroad line,flight path, sailing path, etc.) extending from the position of theportable terminal to the reference position.

According to an information providing system of the present invention,the information group can include first target information and secondtarget information that has more detailed content than the first targetinformation in addition to the content of the first target information,which are associated with each other. In the selection of the targetinformation, the first target information is selected from theinformation group if a distance from the reference position which isspecified by the reference position information to the position which isspecified by the portable terminal position information is within afirst predetermined range. The second target information is selectedfrom the information group if a distance from the reference positionwhich is specified by the reference position information to the positionwhich is specified by the portable terminal position information iswithin a second predetermined range which is smaller than the firstpredetermined range.

With this structure, first target information can be selected if adistance from the position of the portable terminal to the referenceposition is within a first predetermined range. If the portable terminalis closer to the reference position, and a distance from the position ofthe portable terminal to the reference position is within a secondpredetermined range which is smaller than the first predetermined range,second target information that has more detailed content than the firsttarget information in addition to the content of the first targetinformation can be selected.

According to an information providing system of the present invention,the registration terminal can be connected with an external terminalhaving the target information registered therein. The system can includea target information retrieving device for retrieving the targetinformation from the external terminal and the target informationretrieved by the target information retrieving means is stored in thestorage device. With this structure, in the registration terminal, thetarget information can be retrieved by the target information retrievingdevice from an external terminal, and the retrieved target informationcan be stored in the storage device.

Furthermore, to this end, a registration terminal according to thepresent invention, which is connected with the portable terminal in theabove-described information providing system, can include a storagedevice for storing the information group, which is correlated with thereference position information. When the portable terminal positioninformation is received together with the transmission request, thetarget information is selected from an information group in accordancewith the received transmission request on the basis of the positionrelationship between the reference position which is specified by thereference position information corresponding to the information group inaccordance with the received transmission request, and the positionwhich is specified by the received portable terminal positioninformation, and the selected target information is transmitted to theportable terminal.

A registration terminal of the present invention, which is connectedwith the portable terminal in the above-described information providingsystem, can include a storage device for storing the information group,which is correlated with the reference position information. When thetransmission request is received, the reference position informationcorresponding to an information group in accordance with the receivedtransmission request is transmitted to the portable terminal, and, whenthe result of the determination is received in response to thetransmission of the reference position information, the targetinformation is selected from the information group in accordance withthe received transmission request on the basis of the received result ofthe determination, and the selected target information is transmitted tothe portable terminal.

A registration terminal of the present invention, which is connectedwith the portable terminal in the above-described information providingsystem, can include a storage device for storing the information group,which is correlated with the reference position information, and forstoring the program data. When the transmission request is received, aninformation group in accordance with the received transmission request,the reference position information corresponding thereto, and theprogram data are transmitted to the portable terminal.

Furthermore, to this end, a portable terminal according to the presentinvention, which is communicatably connected with the above-describedregistration terminal in the information providing system, can include aposition information retrieving device for retrieving the portableterminal position information. When the reference position informationis received in response to the transmission of the transmission request,the position relationship between the reference position which isspecified by the received reference position information, and theposition which is specified by the portable terminal positioninformation retrieved by the position information retrieving device isdetermined, and a result of the determination is transmitted to theregistration terminal.

Furthermore, to this end, a portable terminal of the present invention,which is connected with the above-described registration terminal in theinformation providing system, can include a position informationretrieving device for retrieving the portable terminal positioninformation. When the information group and the reference positioninformation are received in response to the transmission of thetransmission request, the target information is selected from thereceived information group on the basis of the position relationshipbetween the reference position which is specified by the receivedreference position information, and the position which is specified bythe portable terminal position information retrieved by the positioninformation retrieving means.

In the foregoing description, an information providing system, aregistration terminal, and a portable terminal which are provided toachieve the foregoing object have been proposed. However, it should beunderstood that the present invention is not limited thereto, and firstand second storage media as described below may be proposed to achievethe foregoing object.

A first storage medium can be a computer-readable storage medium whichstores a program which is applied to a registration terminalcommunicatably connected with a portable terminal in the above-describedinformation providing system. The program which causes a computer havingstorage device for storing the information group, which is correlatedwith the reference position information, to, when the portable terminalposition information is received together with the transmission request,execute the process of selecting the target information from aninformation group in accordance with the received transmission requeston the basis of the position relationship between the reference positionwhich is specified by the reference position information correspondingto the information group in accordance with the received transmissionrequest, and the position which is specified by the received portableterminal position information, and of transmitting the selected thetarget information to the portable terminal.

With this structure, when the program stored in the storage medium isread by the computer, and the process is executed by the computeraccording to the read program, the advantage and effect equivalent tothose of the above-described registration terminal in the informationproviding system set forth above.

A second storage medium can be a computer-readable storage medium whichstores a program which is applied to a portable terminal communicatablyconnected with a registration terminal in the above-describedinformation providing system. The program which causes a computer havingposition information retrieving device for retrieving the portableterminal position information to, when the reference positioninformation is received in response to the transmission of thetransmission request, execute the process of determining the positionrelationship between the reference position which is specified by thereceived reference position information, and the position which isspecified by the portable terminal position information retrieved by theposition information retrieving device, and of transmitting a result ofthe determination to the registration terminal.

With this structure, when the program stored in the storage medium isread by the computer, and the process is executed by the computeraccording to the read program, the advantage and effect equivalent tothose of the above-described portable terminal in the informationproviding system set forth above.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be described with reference to the accompanyingdrawings, wherein like numeral reference like elements, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the structure of a network systemincorporating the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an exemplary block diagram of the structure of a registrationterminal 100;

FIG. 3 is a view of the data structure of information groups;

FIG. 4 is a view of the data structure of an exemplary guidanceinformation managing table 400;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of an exemplary guidance information providingprocess;

FIG. 6 is an exemplary block diagram of the structure of a portableterminal 200;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of an exemplary guidance information displayingprocess; and

FIG. 8 is a conceptual diagram showing that the content of guidanceinformation differs depending upon the position of a user of theportable terminal 200.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described withreference to the drawings. FIGS. 1 to 8 show an exemplary informationproviding system, a registration terminal, and a portable terminalaccording to an embodiment of the present invention. In the embodiment,an information providing system, a registration terminal, and a portableterminal in accordance with the present invention are implemented, asshown in FIG. 1, in the case where a registration terminal 100 forregistering shop or sightseeing guidance information is connected to aportable terminal 200 via a network, where the guidance information isdownloaded in the portable terminal 200 from the registration terminal200.

First, the structure of a network system incorporating the presentinvention is described with reference to FIG. 1. FIG. 1 is an exemplaryblock diagram of the structure of a network system incorporating thepresent invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, a registration terminal 200 for registering guidanceinformation, and a relay station 220 for relaying communications from/toa portable terminal 200 to/from the Internet 199 are linked to theInternet 199. Although only one portable terminal 200 is shown in FIG. 1for facilitating the understanding of the present invention, a pluralityof portable terminals 200 are actually linked to the Internet 199.

A plurality of base stations 210 for performing wireless communicationsto/from the portable terminal 200 are linked to the relay station 220.When the portable terminal 200 accesses the Internet 199, the relaystation 220 serves as a terminal on the Internet 199, in place of theportable terminal 200, to transmit data from the portable terminal 200which has been received via the base stations 210 to a destinationterminal over the Internet 199 and to transmit data of a destinationterminal on the Internet 199 to the portable terminal 200 via the basestations 210.

Then, the structure of the registration terminal 100 is described indetail with reference to FIG. 2. FIG. 2 is an exemplary block diagram ofthe structure of the registration terminal 100.

As shown in FIG. 2, the registration terminal 100 can include a CPU 30which controls the calculation and the overall system according to acontrol program, a ROM 32 which stores the control program of the CPU 30and the like in a predetermined region beforehand, a RAM 34 which storesthe data read from the ROM 32 etc., and results of the requiredcalculation in the calculation process by the CPU 30, and an I/F 38which intermediates the input/output of data to/from an external device.These components are connected to each other so that data can betransmitted/received through a bus 39 serving as a signal line for datatransfer.

Connected to the I/F 38 are external devices including an input device40, such as a keyboard or a mouse, which allows for data input as ahuman interface, a guidance information registration database (adatabase is hereinafter abbreviated to “DB”) 42, and a display device 44for display on a screen based on an image signal.

The guidance information registration DB 42 stores a plurality ofinformation groups, each including an associated combination of aplurality of different pieces of guidance information. FIG. 3 shows thedata structure of an information group.

As shown in FIG. 3, each information group includes an associatedcombination of overview information A about the overview content ofshops or sightseeing spots, general information B about the generalcontent of shops or sightseeing spots which is more detailed than theoverview information A, and detailed information C about the detailedcontent of shops or sightseeing spots which is more detailed than thegeneral information B. The general information B has more detailedcontent than the overview information A in addition to the content ofthe overview information A, and the detailed information C has moredetailed content than the general information B in addition to thegeneral information B.

In the example shown in FIG. 3, a first information group indicates anassociated combination of: “TOKYO BAKERY; XX, SETAGAYA-KU; 03-3xxx-xxxx;OUR HANDMADE BREAD IS DELICIOUS!” as overview information A₁; “DAILYSPECIAL BREAD, NUT BREAD; SPECIAL SALES AT 14:00 TO 15:00” as generalinformation B₁ in addition to the content of the overview informationA₁; and “CALORIE INFORMATION FOR BREAD, (1) NUT BREAD (400 kcal), (2)JAM BREAD (450 kcal), . . . ” as detailed information C₁ in addition tothe content of the general information B₁.

As shown in FIG. 4, the guidance information registration DB 42 containsa guidance information managing table 400 in which reference positioninformation for specifying the reference position of the guidanceinformation, and the correlation between the guidance information andthe reference position information are registered. FIG. 4 is a view ofthe data structure of the guidance information managing table 400.

As shown in FIG. 4, the guidance information managing table 400 isregistered with a single record for each information group. Each recordincludes a field 402 having the serial number registered therein, afield 404 having a display text sentence registered therein whichindicates the reference position, a field 406 having the coordinate ofthe reference position registered therein, a field 408 having theoverview information A's file name registered therein, a field 410having a coverage registered therein to which the overview information Ais serviced, a field 412 having the general information B's file nameregistered therein, a field 414 having a coverage registered therein towhich the general information B is serviced, a field 416 having thedetailed information C's file name registered therein, and a field 418having a coverage registered therein to which the detailed information Cis serviced. In this regard, the data in the field 406 corresponds tothe reference position information.

In the example shown in FIG. 4, a record at the first row in the figureis registered with “1” as the serial number in the field 402, “TOKYOBAKERY, SETAGAYA-KU, TOKYO” as display text in the field 404, “(100,100)” as the coordinate of the reference position in the field 406, “A₁”as the overview information A's file name in the field 408, “10 to 100[m]” as the overview information A service coverage in the field 410,“B₁” as the general information B's file name in the field 412, “5 to 10[m]” as the general information B service coverage in the field 414,“C₁” as the detailed information C's file name in the field 416, and “0to 5 [m]” as the detailed information C service coverage in the field418. This means that, when the portable terminal 200 accesses theguidance information “TOKYO BAKERY, SETAGAYA-KU, TOKYO,” then viewableon the portable terminal 200 is the overview information A having a filename, overview information A₁, if a distance from the portable terminal200 to the reference position is within a range of 10 to 100 m; thegeneral information B having a file name, general information B₁, if adistance from the portable terminal 200 to the reference position iswithin a range of 5 to 10 m; or the detailed information C having a filename, detailed information C₁, if a distance from the portable terminal200 to the reference position is within a range of 0 to 5 m.

The CPU 30, such as a micro processing unit or MPU, activates apredetermined program stored in a predetermined region of the ROM 32 toperform the guidance information providing process shown in a flowchartof FIG. 5 according to the program. FIG. 5 is a flowchart of anexemplary guidance information providing process.

The guidance information providing process is a process of providing theguidance information in the guidance information registration DB 42 inresponse to a transmission request from the portable terminal 200, asshown in FIG. 5, first proceeding to step S100. At step S100, it isdetermined whether or not a transmission request for the guidanceinformation has been received. If it is determined that the transmissionrequest has been received (Yes), then the process proceeds to step S102,however, if it is determined otherwise (No), then the process waits atstep S100 until the transmission request has been received.

At step S102, a list of information groups in the guidance informationregistration DB 42 is created, followed by step S104, where theresulting list of information groups is transmitted to the portableterminal 200. Then, the process proceeds to step S106.

At step S106, it is determined whether or not a transmission request forthe guidance information based on the list of information groups hasbeen received. If it is determined that the transmission request hasbeen received (Yes), then the process proceeds to step S108, whereportable terminal position information for specifying the position ofthe portable terminal 200 is received. Then, the process proceeds tostep S110.

At step S110, the reference position information corresponding to aninformation group in accordance with the transmission request is readfrom the guidance information managing table 400, followed by step S112,where the overview information A service coverage for the informationgroup in accordance with the transmission request is read from theguidance information managing table 400. Then, the process proceeds tostep S114.

At step S114, it is determined whether or not a distance from theposition which is specified by the received portable terminal positioninformation to the reference position which is specified by the readreference position information is within the overview information Aservice coverage which has been read. If it is determined that adistance from the portable terminal 200 to the reference position iswithin the overview information A service coverage (Yes), the processproceeds to step S116, where the overview information A out of theinformation group in accordance with the overview information A is readfrom the guidance information registration DB 42, then proceeding tostep S118, where the read overview information A is transmitted to theportable terminal 200. Then, the process completes the series of stepsand returns to the initial processing.

On the other hand, if it is determined at step S114 that a distance fromthe portable terminal 200 to the reference position is not within theoverview information A service coverage (No), then the process proceedsto step S120, where the general information B service coverage for theinformation group in accordance with the transmission request is readfrom the guidance information managing table 400. Then, the processproceeds to step S122.

At step S122, it is determined whether or not a distance from theposition which is specified by the received portable terminal positioninformation to the reference position which is specified by the readreference position information is within the general information Bservice coverage which has been read. If it is determined that adistance from the portable terminal 200 to the reference position iswithin the general information B service coverage (Yes), then theprocess proceeds to step S124, where the general information B out ofthe information group in accordance with the transmission request isread from the guidance information registration DB 42, then proceedingto step S126, where the read general information B is transmitted to theportable terminal 200. Then, the process completes the series of stepsand returns to the initial processing.

On the other hand, if it is determined at step S122 that a distance fromthe portable terminal 200 to the reference position is not within thegeneral information B service coverage (No), then the process proceedsto step S128, where the detailed information C service coverage for theinformation group in accordance with the transmission request is readfrom the guidance information managing table 400. Then, the processproceeds to step S130.

At step S130, it is determined whether or not a distance from theposition which is specified by the received portable terminal positioninformation to the reference position which is specified by the readreference position information is within the detailed information Cservice coverage which has been read. If it is determined that adistance from the portable terminal 200 to the reference position iswithin the detailed information C service coverage (Yes), then theprocess proceeds to step S132, where the detailed information C out ofthe information group in accordance with the transmission request isread from the guidance information registration DB 42, then proceedingto step S134, where the read detailed information C is transmitted tothe portable terminal 200. Then, the process completes the series ofsteps and returns to the initial processing.

On the other hand, if it is determined at step S106 that thetransmission request of the guidance information based on the list ofinformation groups has not been received (No), then the process waits atstep S106 until the transmission request has been received.

Next, the structure of the portable terminal 200 is described in detailwith reference to FIG. 6. FIG. 6 is an exemplary block diagram of thestructure of the portable terminal 200.

The portable terminal 200 can include a CPU 50 which controls thecalculation and the overall system according to a control program, a ROM52 which stores the control program of the CPU 50 and the likebeforehand in a predetermined region, a RAM 54 which stores the dataread from the ROM 52 etc., and results of the required calculation inthe calculation process by the CPU 50, and an I/F 58 which intermediatesthe input/output of data to/from an external device. These componentsare connected to each other so that data can be transmitted/receivedthrough a bus 59 serving as a signal line for data transfer.

Connected to the I/F 58 are external devices including a wirelesscommunications device 60 which performs communications to/from the basestations 210 by wireless communications, a key panel 62 which allows fordata input using a plurality of keys as a human interface, an LCD(liquid crystal display) 64 for display on a screen based on an imagesignal, and a position information retrieving device 66 which determinesthe present position of the portable terminal 200 to retrieve portableterminal position information for specifying that position.

The position information retrieving device 66 receives time signals fromorbiting satellites for sending a time signal indicative of the presenttime, so that a so-called GPS in which the position is measured on thebasis of time lag indicated by the time signals and the orbits of theorbiting satellites is used to measure the position of the presentpoint, and the measured position of the present point is output asportable terminal position information.

The CPU 50, such as a micro processing unit or MPU, activates apredetermined program stored in a predetermined region of the ROM 52 toperform the guidance information displaying process shown in a flowchartof FIG. 7 according to the program. FIG. 7 is a flowchart of anexemplary guidance information displaying process.

The guidance information displaying process is a process of, in responseto user's instruction, requesting the registration terminal 100 totransmit the guidance information and of displaying the guidanceinformation which is received in response to the transmission of thetransmission request. Once executed by the CPU 50, as shown in FIG. 7,the process first proceeds to step S200.

At step S200, it is determined whether or not an instruction has beenmade by a user of the portable terminal 200 to view the guidanceinformation. If it is determined that the instruction has been made toview the guidance information (Yes), then the process proceeds to stepS202, but if it is determined otherwise (No), then the process waits atstep S200 until the instruction has been made to view the guidanceinformation.

At step S202, a transmission request for the guidance information istransmitted to the registration terminal 100, followed by step S204,where a list of information groups is received. Then, the processproceeds to step S206, where the received list of information groups isdisplayed on the LCD 64, then proceeding to step S208.

At step S208, it is determined whether or not any subject to be viewedhas been selected from the list of information groups. If it isdetermined that any has been selected from the list of informationgroups (Yes), then the process proceeds to step S210, where atransmission request for the guidance information based on the list ofinformation groups is transmitted to the registration terminal 100.Then, the process proceeds to step S212.

At step S212, portable terminal position information is retrieved fromthe position information retrieving device 66, followed by step S214,where the retrieved portable terminal position information istransmitted to the registration terminal 100. Then, the process proceedsto step S216, where the guidance information is received, proceeding tostep S218, where the received guidance information is displayed on theLCD 64. Then, the process completes the series of steps, and returns tothe initial processing.

On the other hand, if it is determined at step S208 that no subject tobe viewed has been selected from the list of information groups (No),then the process waits at step S208 until any has been selected from thelist of information groups.

Now, operation according to the present embodiment is described withreference to FIG. 8. FIG. 8 is a conceptual view showing that thecontent of guidance information differs depending upon the position of auser of the portable terminal 200.

First, a reference is made to, for example, the case where a user of theportable terminal 200 desires to view guidance information “TOKYOBAKERY, SETAGAYA-KU, TOKYO” which belongs to the first information groupshown in FIG. 4, in which a distance from the portable terminal 200 tothe reference position is within a range of 10 to 100 m, as shown inFIG. 8 (the case in the state {circle around (1)} in the same figure).

To allow the user to view guidance information “TOKYO BAKERY,SETAGAYA-KU, TOKYO,” first, the user instructs the portable terminal 200to view the guidance information.

In the portable terminal 200, upon an instruction to view the guidanceinformation, a transmission request for the guidance information istransmitted to the registration terminal 100 according to steps S200 andS202.

In the registration terminal 100, when the transmission request isreceived, a list of information groups is created and the resulting listof information groups is transmitted to the portable terminal 200according to steps S100 to S104.

In the portable terminal 200, when the list of information groups isreceived, the list of information groups which has been received isdisplayed according to steps S204 and S206, and a request is made to theuser to select an information group which he is to view. In response tothe selection request, the user selects the information group which hedesires to view. In the portable terminal 200, in response to theselection of information group, a transmission request to transmit theguidance information about the selected information group is sent to theregistration terminal 100, the portable terminal position information isretrieved from the position information retrieving device 66, and theretrieved portable terminal position information is transmitted to theregistration terminal 100 according to steps S208 to S214.

In the registration terminal 100, when the transmission request and theportable terminal position information is received, the referenceposition information corresponding to an information group in accordancewith the transmission request is read according to steps S106 to S110.Since a distance from the portable terminal 200 to the referenceposition is within a range of 10 to 100 m, the overview information A₁service coverage for the information group in accordance with thetransmission request is read to determine that a distance from theposition which is specified by the received portable terminal positioninformation to the reference position which is specified by the readreference position information is within the overview information A₁service coverage which has been read according to steps S112 and S114.Then, according to steps S116 and S118, the overview information A₁ outof the information group in accordance with the transmission request isread, and the read overview information A₁ is transmitted to theportable terminal 200.

In the portable terminal 200, when the overview information A₁ isreceived, the received overview information A₁ is displayed according tosteps S216 and S218.

Therefore, if a user of the portable terminal 200 is located within arange from 10 to 100 m far from the reference position, the overviewinformation A₁ is displayed on the portable terminal 200 if the userdesires to view the guidance information “TOKYO BAKERY, SETAGAYA-KU,TOKYO.”

Next, in the same example as above, a reference is made to the casewhere a user of the portable terminal 200 is closer to the referenceposition and a distance from the portable terminal 200 to the referenceposition is within a range of 5 to 10 m, as shown in FIG. 8 (the case inthe state {circle around (2)} in the same figure).

To allow the user to view guidance information “TOKYO BAKERY,SETAGAYA-KU, TOKYO,” first, the user instructs the portable terminal 200to view the guidance information.

In the portable terminal 200, upon an instruction to view the guidanceinformation, a transmission request for the guidance information istransmitted to the registration terminal 100.

In the registration terminal 100, when the transmission request isreceived, a list of information groups is created and the resulting listof information groups is transmitted to the portable terminal 200.

In the portable terminal 200, when the list of information groups isreceived, the list of information groups which has been received isdisplayed, and a request is made to the user to select an informationgroup which the user is to view. In response to the selection request,the user selects the information group which he desires to view. In theportable terminal 200, in response to the selection of informationgroup, a transmission request to transmit the guidance information aboutthe selected information group is sent to the registration terminal 100,the portable terminal position information is retrieved from theposition information retrieving device 66, and the retrieved portableterminal position information is transmitted to the registrationterminal 100.

In the registration terminal 100, when the transmission request and theportable terminal position information are received, the referenceposition information corresponding to an information group in accordancewith the transmission request is read. Since a distance from theportable terminal 200 to the reference position is within a range of 5to 10 m, the general information B₁ service coverage for the informationgroup in accordance with the transmission request is read to determinethat a distance from the position which is specified by the receivedportable terminal position information to the reference position whichis specified by the read reference position information is within thegeneral information B₁ service coverage which has been read according tosteps S120 and S122. Then, according to steps S124 and S126, the generalinformation B₁ out of the information group in accordance with thetransmission request is read, and the read general information B₁ istransmitted to the portable terminal 200.

In the portable terminal 200, when the general information B₁ isreceived, the received general information B₁ is displayed.

Therefore, if a user of the portable terminal 200 is located within arange from 5 to 10 m far from the reference position, the generalinformation B₁ is displayed on the portable terminal 200 if the userdesires to view the guidance information “TOKYO BAKERY, SETAGAYA-KU,TOKYO.”

Next, in the same example as above, a reference is made to the casewhere a user of the portable terminal 200 is even closer to thereference position and a distance from the portable terminal 200 to thereference position is within a range of 0 to 5 m, as shown in FIG. 8(the case in the state {circle around (3)} in the same figure).

To allow the user to view guidance information “TOKYO BAKERY,SETAGAYA-KU, TOKYO,” first, the user instructs the portable terminal 200to view the guidance information.

In the portable terminal 200, upon an instruction to view the guidanceinformation, a transmission request for the guidance information istransmitted to the registration terminal 100.

In the registration terminal 100, when the transmission request isreceived, a list of information groups is created and the resulting listof information groups is transmitted to the portable terminal 200.

In the portable terminal 200, when the list of information groups isreceived, the list of information groups which has been received isdisplayed, and a request is made to the user to select an informationgroup which he is to view. In response to the selection request, theuser selects the information group which the user desires to view. Inthe portable terminal 200, in response to the selection of informationgroup, a transmission request to transmit the guidance information aboutthe selected information group is sent to the registration terminal 100,the portable terminal position information is retrieved from theposition information retrieving device 66, and the retrieved portableterminal position information is transmitted to the registrationterminal 100.

In the registration terminal 100, when the transmission request and theportable terminal position information are received, the referenceposition information corresponding to an information group in accordancewith the transmission request is read. Since a distance from theportable terminal 200 to the reference position is within a range of 0to 5 m, the detailed information C₁ service coverage for the informationgroup in accordance with the transmission request is read to determinethat a distance from the position which is specified by the receivedportable terminal position information to the reference position whichis specified by the read reference position information is within thedetailed information C₁ service coverage which has been read accordingto steps S128 and S130. Then, according to steps S132 and S134, thedetailed information C₁ out of the information group in accordance withthe transmission request is read, and the read detailed information C₁is transmitted to the portable terminal 200.

In the portable terminal 200, when the detailed information C₁ isreceived, the received detailed information C₁ is displayed.

Therefore, if a user of the portable terminal 200 is located within arange from 0 to 5 m far from the reference position, the detailedinformation C₁ is displayed on the portable terminal 200 if he desiresto view the guidance information “TOKYO BAKERY, SETAGAYA-KU, TOKYO.”

Accordingly, in the present embodiment, the registration terminal 100includes the guidance information registration DB 42 which stores aninformation group, which is correlated with the reference positioninformation. When portable terminal position information for specifyingthe position of the portable terminal 200 is received together with atransmission request for the guidance information, the guidanceinformation can be selected from an information group in accordance withthe received transmission request on the basis of the positionrelationship between the reference position which is specified by thereference position information corresponding to the information group inaccordance with the received transmission request. Also, the positionwhich is specified by the received portable terminal positioninformation, and the selected guidance information is transmitted to theportable terminal 200. The portable terminal 200 can include theposition information retrieving device 66 which retrieves portableterminal position information, in which the portable terminal positioninformation retrieved by the position information retrieving device 66is transmitted to the registration terminal 100 together with thetransmission request.

This allows the provided guidance information content to differdepending upon the position of a user who owns the portable terminal200, thereby providing simplified information to a user far from thereference position, while providing detailed information to a user nearthe reference position. Thus, proportionally appropriate information canbe provided depending upon the position of a user compared to theconventional art. This may also relatively facilitate acquisition ofinformation by the user, compared to the case where information issearched for as desired by a user on a home page on the Internet. Sincethe position relationship is determined on the registration terminal100, the processing load placed on the portable terminal 200 can beminimized.

Furthermore, in the present embodiment, an information group includes anassociated combination of overview information A, general information Bcontaining more detailed content than the overview information A inaddition to the overview information A, and detailed information Ccontaining more detailed content than the general information B inaddition to the general information B. The overview information Aservice coverage is broader than the general information B servicecoverage, and the general information B service coverage is broader thanthe detailed information C service coverage. The registration terminal100 selects the overview information A from the information group if itis determined that a distance from the portable terminal 200 to thereference position is within the overview information A servicecoverage; selects the general information B from the information groupif it is determined that a distance from the portable terminal 200 tothe reference position is within the general information B servicecoverage; and selects the detailed information C from the informationgroup if it is determined that a distance from the portable terminal 200to the reference position is within the detailed information C servicecoverage.

This can provide simplified information to a user far from the referenceposition, while providing detailed information for a user near thereference position, thereby providing further appropriate informationdepending upon the position of a user. As a user is closer to thereference position, the content of the guidance information which heobtains will become more detailed, thereby reducing the possibility thatthe content of the guidance information which he obtains beinsufficient.

Although the aforementioned embodiment is configured so that theposition relationship between the portable terminal 200 and thereference position is determined on the registration terminal 100, itshould be understood that the present invention is not limited thereto,and the position relationship between the portable terminal 200 and thereference position may be determined on the portable terminal 200.

In a specific form, the registration terminal 100 can include theguidance information registration DB 42 which stores an informationgroup, which is correlated with the reference position information. Whena transmission request for the guidance information is received, thereference position information corresponding to an information group inaccordance with the received transmission request is transmitted to theportable terminal 200. When a result of the determination by theportable terminal 200 is received in response to the transmission of thereference position information, the guidance information is selectedfrom the information group in accordance with the received transmissionrequest on the basis of the received result of the determination, andthe selected guidance information is transmitted to the portableterminal 200.

The portable terminal 200 can include the position informationretrieving device 66 which retrieves portable terminal positioninformation for specifying the position of the portable terminal 200.When the reference position information is received in response to thetransmission of the transmission request, the position relationship isdetermined between the reference position which is specified by thereceived reference position information, and the position which isspecified by the portable terminal position information retrieved by theposition information retrieving device 66, and a result of thedetermination is transmitted to the registration terminal 100.

Thus, since the position relationship is determined on the portableterminal 200, the processing load placed on the registration terminal100 can be reduced.

In another specific form where the position relationship between theportable terminal 200 and the reference position is determined on theportable terminal 200, the following can also be proposed.

The registration terminal 100 can include the guidance informationregistration DB 42 which stores an information group, which iscorrelated with the reference position information. When a transmissionrequest for the guidance information is received, an information groupin accordance with the received transmission request, and the referenceposition information corresponding thereto are transmitted to theportable device 200.

The portable terminal 200 can include the position informationretrieving device 66 which retrieves portable terminal positioninformation for specifying the position of the portable terminal 200.When the information group and the reference position information arereceived in response to the transmission of the transmission request,the guidance information is selected from the received information groupon the basis of the position relationship between the reference positionwhich is specified by the received reference position information, andthe position which is specified by the portable terminal positioninformation retrieved by the position information retrieving device 66.

Thus, since the position relationship is determined on the portableterminal 200, the processing load placed on the registration terminal100 can be reduced.

Although the aforementioned embodiment is configured so that theregistration terminal 100 performs the process according to a programstored in the ROM 32 to thereby select the guidance information, itshould be understood that the present invention is not limited thereto.The registration terminal 100 may transmit program data stored in theROM 32 to the portable terminal 200, while the portable terminal 200, inplace of the registration terminal 100, may execute the processaccording to the received program data to thereby select the guidanceinformation.

In a specific form, the registration terminal 100 can include theguidance information registration DB 42 which stores an informationgroup, which is correlated with the reference position information, andwhich stores program data. When a transmission request for guidanceinformation is received, an information group in accordance with thereceived transmission request, the reference position informationcorresponding thereto, and the program data can be transmitted to theportable terminal 200. In this regard, the program data is program datawhich causes the portable terminal 200 to execute the process ofselecting the guidance information from the information group on thebasis of the position relationship between the reference position whichis specified by the reference position information, and the positionwhich is specified by portable terminal position information forspecifying the position of the portable terminal 200.

The portable terminal 200 can include the position informationretrieving device 66 which retrieves the portable terminal positioninformation. When the information group, the reference positioninformation, and the program data are received in response to thetransmission of the transmission request, the process is executedaccording to the received program data to select the guidanceinformation.

This can modify the content of services only by changing the programdata in the registration terminal 100 without modifying the internalsetting of the portable terminal 200, thereby flexibly supportingmodifications in service to some extent.

Although the aforementioned embodiment is configured so that theguidance information is registered in the guidance informationregistration DB 42 beforehand, it should be understood that the presentinvention is not limited thereto. The registration terminal 100 may beconnected with an external terminal having guidance informationregistered therein via the Internet 199, and may retrieve the guidanceinformation from the external terminal, so that the retrieved guidanceinformation is stored in the guidance information registration DB 42.

In the configuration of the aforementioned embodiment, the registrationterminal 100 selects the overview information A from the informationgroup if it is determined that a distance from the portable terminal 200to the reference position is within an overview information A servicecoverage; selects the general information B from the information groupif it is determined that a distance from the portable terminal 200 tothe reference position is within a general information B servicecoverage which is smaller than the overview information A servicecoverage; and selects the detailed information C from the informationgroup if it is determined that a distance from the portable terminal 200to the reference position is within a detailed information C servicecoverage which is smaller than the general information B servicecoverage. However, it should be understood that the present invention isnot limited thereto, and, for example, if it is desired for a number ofpeople from far places to visit a rural sightseeing spot, the ofinformation content may be provided in an opposite way.

Specifically, the registration terminal 100 can select the overviewinformation A from the information group if it is determined that adistance from the portable terminal 200 to the reference position iswithin an overview information A service coverage; selects the generalinformation B from the information group if it is determined that adistance from the portable terminal 200 to the reference position iswithin a general information B service coverage which is greater thanthe overview information A service coverage; and selects the detailedinformation C from the information group if it is determined that adistance from the portable terminal 200 to the reference position iswithin a detailed information C service coverage which is greater thanthe general information B service coverage.

This can provide simplified information for a user near the referenceposition, while providing detailed information for a user far from thereference position, thereby providing proportionally appropriateinformation depending upon the position of a user.

The aforementioned embodiment has been described with respect to thecase where the processes shown in the flowcharts shown in FIGS. 5 and 7are performed by executing the control programs which are prestored inthe ROMs 32 and 52, however, it should be understood that the presentinvention is not limited. From a storage medium in which a programindicating the process is stored, the program may be read into the RAM34 or 54 where it is executed.

In this regard, the storage medium may be a semiconductor storagemedium, such as a RAM or a ROM, a magnetic storage type storage medium,such as an FD or an HD, an optical read type storage medium, such as aCD, a CDV, an LD, or a DVD, or a magnetic storage type/optical read typestorage medium such as an MO, and may encompass any storage medium whichis a computer readable storage medium, whatever the electronic,magnetic, or optical reading method it uses.

The aforementioned embodiment has been described with respect to thecase where the information providing system, registration terminal, andportable terminal according to the present invention are implemented ina network system such as the Internet 199, however, the presentinvention is not limited thereto. For example, they may be implementedin a so-called intranet for communications in the same manner as theInternet 199. Of course, not restrictively, they may be implemented in anetwork for communications in the same manner as the Internet 199, andmay also be implemented in a usual network.

In the aforementioned embodiment, the information providing system,registration terminal, and portable terminal according to the presentinvention are implemented in such a manner that, as shown in FIG. 1, theregistration terminal 100 which registers shop or sightseeing guidanceinformation is connected to the portable terminal 200 via a network,where the guidance information is downloaded in the portable terminal200 from the registration terminal 100. However, it should be understoodthat the present invention is not limited thereto, and othermodifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe invention.

As described above, according to an information providing system of thepresent invention, the content of the target information which differsdepending upon the portion of a user who owns the portable terminal canbe provided, thereby, for example, providing simplified information to auser far from the reference position, while providing detailedinformation to a user near the reference position. This achieves theadvantage that proportionally appropriate information can be provideddepending upon the position of a user compared to the conventional art.This also achieves the advantage that acquisition of information by theuser can be relatively facilitated compared to the case whereinformation is searched for as desired by a user on a home page on theInternet.

Furthermore, according to an information providing system of the presentinvention, the position relationship is determined on the registrationterminal, thereby achieving the advantage that the processing loadplaced on the portable terminal can be reduced.

Furthermore, according to an information providing system of the presentinvention, the content of services can be modified only by changing theprogram data in the registration terminal without modifying the internalsetting of the portable terminal, thereby achieving the advantage thatmodifications in services can be flexibly supported to some extent.

Furthermore, according to an information providing system of the presentinvention, simplified information can be provided for a user far fromthe reference position, while detailed information can be provided for auser near the reference position, thereby achieving the advantage thatfurther appropriate information can be provided depending upon theposition of a user.

Furthermore, according to an information providing system of the presentinvention, as a user is closer to the reference position, the content ofthe guidance information which he obtains will become more detailed,thereby, advantageously, reducing the possibility that the content ofthe guidance information which he obtains be insufficient.

According to a registration terminal of the present invention, theadvantage equivalent to that of the above-described informationproviding system can be achieved.

Furthermore, according to a portable terminal of the present invention,the advantage equivalent to that of the above information providingsystem set forth in claim 3 can be achieved.

1. An information providing system comprising: a portable terminal thatis connected with a registration terminal for registering targetinformation that is to be used by the portable terminal, and thatprovides the target information in the registration terminal to theportable terminal; and the registration terminal being adapted toassociate a plurality of different pieces of the target information witha single information group, and to register the information group, whichis correlated with reference position information for specifying areference position as a reference; the target information in theregistration terminal being provided to the portable terminal byautomatically selecting a particular one of the different pieces of thetarget information from the information group on the basis of thepositional relationship between the reference position that is specifiedby the reference position information corresponding to the informationgroup, and the portable terminal, and by transmitting the selectedtarget information to the portable terminal, the registration terminalincluding a storage device that stores the information group, which iscorrelated with the reference position information, in which, whenportable terminal position information for specifying the position ofthe portable terminal is received together with a transmission requestfor the target information, the target information is selected from aninformation group in accordance with the received transmission requestbased on a positional relationship between the reference position thatis specified by the reference position information corresponding to theinformation group in accordance with the received transmission request,and the position that is specified by the received portable terminalposition information, and the selected target information is transmittedto the portable terminal; and the portable terminal including a positioninformation retrieving device that retrieves the portable terminalposition information in which the portable terminal position informationretrieved by the position information retrieving device is transmittedto the registration terminal together with the transmission request; andthe information group including first target information and secondtarget information having more detailed content than the first targetinformation, which are associated with each other; and the selection ofthe target information, the first target information being selected fromthe information group if a distance from the reference position that isspecified by the reference position information to the position that isspecified by the portable terminal position information is within afirst predetermined range, and the second target information is selectedfrom the information group if a distance from the reference positionthat is specified by the reference position information to the positionthat is specified by the portable terminal position information iswithin a second predetermined range which is smaller than the firstpredetermined range.
 2. The information providing system according toclaim 1, the registration terminal including a storage device thatstores the information group, which is correlated with the referenceposition information, in which, when a transmission request for thetarget information is received, reference position informationcorresponding to an information group in accordance with the receivedtransmission request is transmitted to the portable terminal, and, whena result of determination by the portable terminal is received inresponse to the transmission of the reference position information, thetarget information is selected from an information group in accordancewith the received transmission request on the basis of the receivedresult of determination, and the selected target information istransmitted to the portable terminal; and the portable terminalincluding a position information retrieving device that retrievesportable terminal position information for specifying the position ofthe portable terminal, in which, when the reference position informationis received in response to the transmission of the transmission request,the positional relationship between the reference position that isspecified by the received reference position information, and theposition that is specified by the portable terminal position informationretrieved by the position information retrieving device is determined,and a result of the determination is transmitted to the registrationterminal.
 3. A registration terminal connected with the portableterminal in the information providing system according to claim 2, saidregistration terminal comprising a storage device that stores theinformation group, which is correlated with the reference positioninformation, wherein, when the transmission request is received, thereference position information corresponding to an information group inaccordance with the received transmission request is transmitted to theportable terminal, and, when the result of the determination is receivedin response to the transmission of the reference position information,the target information is selected from the information group inaccordance with the received transmission request on the basis of thereceived result of the determination, and the selected targetinformation is transmitted to the portable terminal.
 4. A portableterminal connected with the registration terminal in the informationproviding system according to claim 2, said portable terminal comprisinga position information retrieving device for retrieving the portableterminal position information, wherein, when the reference positioninformation is received in response to the transmission of thetransmission request, the position relationship between the referenceposition that is specified by the received reference positioninformation, and the position that is specified by the portable terminalposition information retrieved by the position information retrievingdevice is determined, and a result of the determination is transmittedto the registration terminal.
 5. The information providing systemaccording to claim 1, the registration terminal including a storagedevice that stores the information group, which is correlated with thereference position information, in which, when a transmission requestfor the target information is received, an information group inaccordance with the received transmission request, and the referenceposition information corresponding thereto are transmitted to theportable terminal; and the portable terminal including a positioninformation retrieving device that retrieves portable terminal positioninformation for specifying the position of the portable terminal, inwhich, when the information group and the reference position informationare received in response to the transmission of the transmissionrequest, the target information is selected from the receivedinformation group based on the positional relationship between thereference position that is specified by the received reference positioninformation, and the position that is specified by the portable terminalposition information retrieved by the position information retrievingdevice.
 6. A portable terminal connected with the registration terminalin the information providing system according to claim 5, said portableterminal comprising a position information retrieving device thatretrieves the portable terminal position information, wherein, when theinformation group and the reference position information are received inresponse to the transmission of the transmission request, the targetinformation is selected from the received information group based on theposition relationship between the reference position that is specifiedby the received reference position information, and the position that isspecified by the portable terminal position information retrieved by theposition information retrieving device.
 7. The information providingsystem according to claim 1, the registration terminal including astorage device that stores the information group, which is correlatedwith the reference position information, and stores program data, inwhich, when a transmission request for the target information isreceived, an information group in accordance with the receivedtransmission request, the reference position information correspondingthereto, and program data are transmitted to the portable terminal; theprogram data being program data that causes the portable terminal toexecute the process of selecting the target information from theinformation group based on the position relationship between thereference position that is specified by the reference positioninformation, and the position that is specified by portable terminalposition information for specifying the position of the portableterminal; and the portable terminal including a position informationretrieving device that retrieves the portable terminal positioninformation, in which, when the information group, the referenceposition information, and the program data are received in response tothe transmission of the transmission request, the process is executedaccording to the received program data to select the target information.8. A registration terminal connected with the portable terminal in theinformation providing system according to claim 7, said registrationterminal comprising a storage device that stores the information group,which is correlated with the reference position information, and thatstores the program data, wherein, when the transmission request isreceived, an information group in accordance with the receivedtransmission request, the reference position information correspondingthereto, and the program data are transmitted to the portable terminal.9. The information providing system according to claim 1, theinformation group including first target information and second targetinformation that includes more detailed content than the first targetinformation in addition to the content of the first target information,which are associated with each other; and in the selection of the targetinformation, the first target information being selected from theinformation group if a distance from the reference position that isspecified by the reference position information to the position that isspecified by the portable terminal position information is within afirst predetermined range, and the second target information is selectedfrom the information group if a distance from the reference positionthat is specified by the reference position information to the positionthat is specified by the portable terminal position information iswithin a second predetermined range that is smaller than the firstpredetermined range.
 10. The information providing system according toclaim 1, the registration terminal being connected with an externalterminal having the target information registered therein, and includinga target information retrieving device that retrieves the targetinformation from the external terminal; and the target informationretrieved by the target information retrieving device being stored inthe storage device.
 11. A registration terminal connected with theportable terminal in the information providing system according to claim1, said registration terminal comprising a storage device that storesthe information group, which is correlated with the reference positioninformation, wherein, when the portable terminal position information isreceived together with the transmission request, the target informationis selected from an information group in accordance with the receivedtransmission request based on the position relationship between thereference position that is specified by the reference positioninformation corresponding to the information group in accordance withthe received transmission request, and the position that is specified bythe received portable terminal position information, and the selectedtarget information is transmitted to the portable terminal.
 12. Aninformation providing system comprising: a portable terminal that isconnected with a registration terminal for registering targetinformation that is to be used by the portable terminal, and thatprovides the target information in the registration terminal to theportable terminal; and the registration terminal being adapted toassociate a plurality of different pieces of the target information witha single information group, and to register the information group, whichis correlated with reference position information for specifying areference position as a reference; the target information in theregistration terminal being provided to the portable terminal byautomatically selecting a particular one of the different pieces of thetarget information from the information group on the basis of thepositional relationship between the reference position that is specifiedby the reference position information corresponding to the informationgroup, and the portable terminal, and by transmitting the selectedtarget information to the portable terminal, the registration terminalincluding a storage device that stores the information group, which iscorrelated with the reference position information, in which, whenportable terminal position information for specifying the position ofthe portable terminal is received together with a transmission requestfor the target information, the target information is selected from aninformation group in accordance with the received transmission requestbased on a positional relationship between the reference position thatis specified by the reference position information corresponding to theinformation group in accordance with the received transmission request,and the position that is specified by the received portable terminalposition information, and the selected target information is transmittedto the portable terminal; the information group including first targetinformation and second target information that includes more detailedcontent than the first target information in addition to the content ofthe first target information, which are associated with each other; andin the selection of the target information, the first target informationbeing selected from the information group if a distance from thereference position that is specified by the reference positioninformation to the position that is specified by the portable terminalposition information is within a first predetermined range, and thesecond target information is selected from the information group if adistance from the reference position that is specified by the referenceposition information to the position that is specified by the portableterminal position information is within a second predetermined rangethat is smaller than the first predetermined range.
 13. The informationproviding system according to claim 12, the registration terminalincluding a storage device that stores the information group, which iscorrelated with the reference position information, in which, when atransmission request for the target information is received, referenceposition information corresponding to an information group in accordancewith the received transmission request is transmitted to the portableterminal, and, when a result of determination by the portable terminalis received in response to the transmission of the reference positioninformation, the target information is selected from an informationgroup in accordance with the received transmission request on the basisof the received result of determination, and the selected targetinformation is transmitted to the portable terminal; and the portableterminal including a position information retrieving device thatretrieves portable terminal position information for specifying theposition of the portable terminal, in which, when the reference positioninformation is received in response to the transmission of thetransmission request, the positional relationship between the referenceposition that is specified by the received reference positioninformation, and the position that is specified by the portable terminalposition information retrieved by the position information retrievingdevice is determined, and a result of the determination is transmittedto the registration terminal.
 14. A registration terminal connected withthe portable terminal in the information providing system according toclaim 13, said registration terminal comprising a storage device thatstores the information group, which is correlated with the referenceposition information, wherein, when the transmission request isreceived, the reference position information corresponding to aninformation group in accordance with the received transmission requestis transmitted to the portable terminal, and, when the result of thedetermination is received in response to the transmission of thereference position information, the target information is selected fromthe information group in accordance with the received transmissionrequest on the basis of the received result of the determination, andthe selected target information is transmitted to the portable terminal.15. A portable terminal connected with the registration terminal in theinformation providing system according to claim 13, said portableterminal comprising a position information retrieving device forretrieving the portable terminal position information, wherein, when thereference position information is received in response to thetransmission of the transmission request, the position relationshipbetween the reference position that is specified by the receivedreference position information, and the position that is specified bythe portable terminal position information retrieved by the positioninformation retrieving device is determined, and a result of thedetermination is transmitted to the registration terminal.
 16. Theinformation providing system according to claim 12, the registrationterminal including a storage device that stores the information group,which is correlated with the reference position information, in which,when a transmission request for the target information is received, aninformation group in accordance with the received transmission request,and the reference position information corresponding thereto aretransmitted to the portable terminal; and the portable terminalincluding a position information retrieving device that retrievesportable terminal position information for specifying the position ofthe portable terminal, in which, when the information group and thereference position information are received in response to thetransmission of the transmission request, the target information isselected from the received information group based on the positionalrelationship between the reference position that is specified by thereceived reference position information, and the position that isspecified by the portable terminal position information retrieved by theposition information retrieving device.
 17. A portable terminalconnected with the registration terminal in the information providingsystem according to claim 14, said portable terminal comprising aposition information retrieving device that retrieves the portableterminal position information, wherein, when the information group andthe reference position information are received in response to thetransmission of the transmission request, the target information isselected from the received information group based on the positionrelationship between the reference position that is specified by thereceived reference position information, and the position that isspecified by the portable terminal position information retrieved by theposition information retrieving device.
 18. The information providingsystem according to claim 12, the registration terminal including astorage device that stores the information group, which is correlatedwith the reference position information, and stores program data, inwhich, when a transmission request for the target information isreceived, an information group in accordance with the receivedtransmission request, the reference position information correspondingthereto, and program data are transmitted to the portable terminal; theprogram data being program data that causes the portable terminal toexecute the process of selecting the target information from theinformation group based on the position relationship between thereference position that is specified by the reference positioninformation, and the position that is specified by portable terminalposition information for specifying the position of the portableterminal; and the portable terminal including a position informationretrieving device that retrieves the portable terminal positioninformation, in which, when the information group, the referenceposition information, and the program data are received in response tothe transmission of the transmission request, the process is executedaccording to the received program data to select the target information.19. A registration terminal connected with the portable terminal in theinformation providing system according to claim 18, said registrationterminal comprising a storage device that stores the information group,which is correlated with the reference position information, and thatstores the program data, wherein, when the transmission request isreceived, an information group in accordance with the receivedtransmission request, the reference position information correspondingthereto, and the program data are transmitted to the portable terminal.20. The information providing system according to claim 12, theregistration terminal being connected with an external terminal havingthe target information registered therein, and including a targetinformation retrieving device that retrieves the target information fromthe external terminal; and the target information retrieved by thetarget information retrieving device being stored in the storage device.21. A registration terminal connected with the portable terminal in theinformation providing system according to claim 12, said registrationterminal comprising a storage device that stores the information group,which is correlated with the reference position information, wherein,when the portable terminal position information is received togetherwith the transmission request, the target information is selected froman information group in accordance with the received transmissionrequest based on the position relationship between the referenceposition that is specified by the reference position informationcorresponding to the information group in accordance with the receivedtransmission request, and the position that is specified by the receivedportable terminal position information, and the selected targetinformation is transmitted to the portable terminal.